Rules Mechanics: The Best Defense

This afternoon, I rewrote the basic defense powers, and modified them slightly for their card and RPG versions. I hope to include them in both as close to their original form as possible, but with their differences being intuitive to players familiar with one or the other. I also wrote a draft for the “standard” defensive power.

Evade [Quick]
The next time you’re missed by an attack, reduce the damage to your health by +1 per scope (max. +6).

Absorb [Quick]
The next time you’re hit by an attack, reduce the damage to your health by +2 per scope (maximum +12).

Block [Quick]
The next time an attack hits your ally, take the damage to your health in place of your ally. (Your ally still suffers the secondary effects of the attack.)

Counter [Quick]
The next time you’re hit by an attack, your attacker takes damage as though you missed with a basic attack. (This may trigger additional miss effects.)

Negate [Quick]
The next time you’re hit by an attack, take additional damage as though hit, and ignore the secondary effects of the attack. (This damage doesn’t trigger hit effects.)

First, I want to say a little about these defenses. Some of this I may have already covered, but some of it will be new (I hope). Evade and Absorb are intended to be among the more safe and boring options for players. They’re based on the binary hit/miss nature of attacks. Evade is hopeful, Absorb is pragmatic.

Other defenses are designed with more strategy in mind.

Intercept [Readied]
You are subjected to target attack. If your defense beats the attack, reduce the damage to your health by one-half. (To beat an attack, your defense must be greater than its value.)

This is the power that changes everything. First of all, unlike the other defensive powers, this one takes a Readied action, and is therefore “slower” than the Quick action of the individual defenses. You can therefore determine ahead of time whether you’ll take the hit or not, and how much damage you’ll sustain from the attack.

If I remember correctly, first-level damage on a hit is seven, and on a miss, it’s eight. I haven’t implemented weapons and attack powers yet, but those will add damage accordingly. For now, the tactics create the environment for attacking, defending, and dealing or reducing damage. Most of the combat system will expand from this point.

Please do note, that more than one character can intercept a given attack, but each one that does (for the time being, anyway), suffers the same effects. It does make it possible however, for five characters with “Counter” to deal damage to a single attacker by using their defense simultaneously. They all suffer equally, though.